is watching a lot of watershed moments now. Things are changing faster than
ever.
have to be completely passionate about what they represent. It is a subjective
business.
something worth pursuing. It is not a rejection, not a closed door, but an open
door, an invitation.
there for.
YOUR passion, what’s YOUR story. Tricia’s 4-step author test:
What’s YOUR story, your axiom, your lens? How do
you see the world? It will come out every time you write.
Do you know (specifically) where your work
belongs? (Hint: “It’s for kids” isn’t good enough.)
How do you interact with kids today?
What do you watch, read, follow, etc. to keep in
touch with your audience?
that you are serious about this business AND that you’ll be able to eventually
stand up to the revision letter from an editor.
“The thing is, once we have
reached a certain mastery of craft, craft is no longer the issue. In order to
take our writing to the next level we must embrace our strange, unique, and
often embarrassing selves and write about the things that really matter to us. We need to be willing to
peel our own layers back until we reach that tender, raw, voiceless place—the
place where our crunchiest stories come from. We need to get some skin in the
game. It should cost us something emotionally to tell our stories. But many of
us who come to writing do so because they were voiceless at some point in their
lives, so doing that can be the most terrifying risk of all.
Just as we must dance as if
no one is watching, we must write as if no one is reading.”